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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Aug 15, 2017: Coming this spring: a shorter PSSA

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Aug 15, 2017:




Education Savings Accounts: New Pa. plan could help 220k students attend private school, putting a fifth of the state public school budget at risk
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY AUGUST 15, 2017
A powerful coalition of Pennsylvania lawmakers is promoting a forthcoming education savings account (ESA) bill that would allow hundreds of thousands of students in the state to use public money to pay for private school tuition.  The proposal could dramatically alter the state's K-12 education landscape, potentially siphoning away about a fifth of the state's overall support for public schools.  With this savings account plan, funds currently allocated for support of public schools would be deducted from state coffers and made directly available to parents to help cover the cost of a list of education-related expenses including private school tuition, textbooks, industry certifications, and tutors.  "The people of the United States have decided to fund education in a public manner, but they have not given the government authorization to decide where children go to school," said John DiSanto, R-Dauphin County, the bill's lead sponsor. "The world's changing." 
The plan aligns with the priorities set forth by President Donald Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Charter schools were founded to increase student achievement. Are they delivering on the promise?
Public Source By Mary Niederberger AUG. 14, 2017
PART OF THE SERIES The Charter Effect|
If you are a parent in Allegheny County living in a school district that is under-resourced and low-achieving, it’s likely there’s a charter school set up nearby.  Most of the 27 brick-and-mortar charter schools that will operate in the county this fall are in or near districts that struggle with both academic achievement and finances and, in some cases, safety and violence issues.  But assessing the success of a charter school can be difficult.  By purely academic standards, School Performance Profiles compiled by the state and standardized test scores can provide ratings. But other factors, such as school safety and size, can come into the mix when parents are making their decisions.  School Performance Profile [SPP] scores for the 2015-16 school year issued by the state Department of Education, which are based on a scale of 107 points, fall into the 30s and 40s in some of the schools within the school districts of Pittsburgh, Woodland Hills, McKeesport, Wilkinsburg, Sto-Rox, Penn Hills, Duquesne and Clairton.  That poor academic performance opens the door for charter operators to set up shop with the promise of providing better educational opportunities, and families have flocked to them so much so that many charters have waiting lists.

Cyber charters don’t get passing grades but parents choose them for other reasons
Public Source By Stephanie Hacke AUG. 15, 2017
PART OF THE SERIES The Charter Effect|
Pennsylvania ranks among the top three states in the country that enroll the most students in cyber charter schools.  We're talking 33,000 to 34,000 students. That's like the entire student population at the University of Pittsburgh.  Yet none of these charter schools has reached a performance benchmark of 70 percent on the School Performance Profile [SPP] — a statewide grading system for Pennsylvania’s public schools established four years ago. The SPPs rank schools on numerous factors including academic achievement, growth and attendance.  The 21st Century Cyber Charter School earned the highest SPP score of any cyber charter school in 2015-16 with a score of 62.1 out of a possible 100 percent (with the possibility of seven extra credit points). Agora Cyber Charter School rated the worst among cyber charters with 37.7 on the SPP.  Parents who talked to PublicSource said the low academic scores on the statewide tests don’t bother them. They say their children are learning and they care more about their individual performance. The schools also provide them with flexibility they couldn’t find in traditional public schools.

Prospect of property tax elimination is not what it seems
Written by Vicky Taylor and Rick Lee/Chambersburg Public Opinion | Aug 14, 2017 2:45 PM
 (Chambersburg) -- If you are a taxpayer looking forward to property-tax elimination becoming reality, curb your enthusiasm.   Even if a planned voter referendum passes this fall and the stateLegislature does away with school taxes, it doesn't mean property owners will stop paying all school taxes immediately.  Taxpayers in all but one of Franklin County's six school districts would still have to pay property taxes to finance their district's long-term debt, even if that tax would be at a much lower rate than today's school tax.  And a pending Pennsylvania Senate bill -- The Property Tax Independence Act -- calls for increasing personal income and sales taxes as replacement revenue for school districts.

Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated on August 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM Posted on August 14, 2017 at 12:24 PM
A common complaint heard about state exams is how much instructional time they eat up preparing students to take them and then actually administering the exams.  Gov. Tom Wolf and state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said that gripe did not fallen on deaf ears.  Starting this coming spring, the English language arts Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam will be reduced from four sections to three sections and the math PSSA from three sections to two sections.   This, in turn, will reduce the amount of time third through eighth graders spend taking state exams.  Fourth- through eighth-grade students will spend at least 20 percent less time taking these exams, reducing the time from about eight hours to about six-and-a-half hours. The testing time for third-graders will be cut by 25 percent.  "The problem was how much classroom time was taken to teach to those tests," Wolf said at a Monday news conference that took place at Susquehanna Township Middle School.

“West Chester Area Superintendent James Scanlon, a vocal critic of PSSA testing who in June wrote to Rivera suggesting the test be curtailed, also applauded the changes.  “I have always believed that we spent way too much time on testing children,” he wrote in an email. “I am in support of less testing time for students, particularly for elementary school students.  We shouldn’t ask an 8-year-old third grade student to take an eight-hour math test in March, get the results back in September, and then determine if he/she knows math.  The best way to find out how a young child is doing to meet the academic standards is to ask the teacher.”
Gov. Wolf announces plan to reduce test-taking time for Pa. students
Inquirer by Liz Navratil, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: AUGUST 14, 2017 1:35 PM EDT
HARRISBURG — Gov. Wolf and state education officials on Monday announced plans to reduce the amount of classroom time that students spend taking standardized tests known as the PSSAs.  The State Department of Education plans to reduce one math section and one English section in the Pennsylvania System for School Assessment exams, which students take in grades 3 through 8. That should reduce the amount of time students spend taking the test by an average of 20 percent to 25 percent, depending on their age, meaning 93 minutes less for math and reading exams, according to the department.  The changes are expected to happen next spring, and officials said they could also seek to push back the tests to later in the school year, allowing more time for instruction before the exams take place.  Wolf said he hopes this will allow teachers to focus on providing students with a “complete education rather than preparing for one exam.”

Pennsylvania cutting student PSSA test questions, teacher prep time for exams
Morning Call by Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau August 14, 2017
Standing in a middle school library, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that the state is cutting the classroom prep time and number of test questions for statewide standardized tests.  The changes, which begin this spring, should reduce the eight hours of testing time about 20 percent in PSSA math and English exams in grades 3 through 8. Depending on the school, that would give teachers at least an extra day and a half for regular classroom instruction.  The change, the Democratic governor said, is being made as part of the Department of Education’s plan for implementing the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which gave states and local school districts most of the flexibility they lost nearly two decades ago over standardized testing guidelines. The testing change is being made, Wolf said, after he and his administration spent more than a year talking to educators, students, parents and school board members about how the state could help make schools better.

Wolf, Rivera announce reduction in time spent on Pa. tests
The notebook by Greg Windle August 14, 2017 — 5:10pm
Flanked by education advocates, Gov. Wolf and state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera announced Monday that schools in Pennsylvania will reduce time spent on state standardized testing by 20 percent in grades 3-8.  The change came after discussions between the Department of Education and stakeholders as the department developed its consolidated plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  “As I have traveled the commonwealth on the Schools That Teach tour, I have heard from parents, students, and educators concerned about the amount of time devoted to taking standardized tests,” said Wolf during a tour stop at Susquehanna Middle School in Dauphin County. “This reduction will ease the stress placed on our kids and will allow students and teachers to focus more on learning than on testing. This change should also reassure parents that we’ve listened to their concerns about over-testing.”

Bucks, Montgomery school administrators pleased with shorter PSSA test
Intelligencer By Gary Weckselblatt, staff writer August 14, 2017
Students will need 20 percent less time to take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment after the Wolf administration eliminated two sections of the state-mandated tests, the governor announced Monday.   The reduction in test time, which will be in place when the PSSAs are given next spring, was developed from discussions over the last year as the state Department of Education put together its plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal education law that allows states more flexibility than its predecessor, No Child Left Behind.  Educators and parents have questioned both the time needed to "teach to the test" and the hours students spend taking the exams.  "Anything that provides more instructional time in the classroom is going to directly benefit all of our students," Central Bucks Superintendent John Kopicki said. "Reducing the amount of high-stakes assessments is definitely a positive step."

Wolf's cut to PSSA testing draws applause from all corners
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose jprose@calkins.com August 14, 2017
Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision Monday to reduce Pennsylvania’s standardized tests by 20 percent for younger students was met with praise across the board.  “The fact you’re testing less gives you more of an opportunity to teach,” said Aliquippa School District Superintendent Pete Carbone, who acknowledged the reduced testing time “lightens the load a little bit” when it comes to the stress felt by students.  “A third- or fourth-grader should not feel pressured that they have to score advanced or proficient on a test,” Carbone said. “School should be an enjoyable place for them to learn and to want to learn.”  Wolf and state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera announced the 20 percent cut to Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing for students in grades 3 through 8 at a Dauphin County school.  “As I have traveled the commonwealth on the ‘Schools that Teach’ tour, I have heard from parents, students and educators concerned about the amount of time devoted to taking standardized tests," Wolf said.

Gerrymandering: Why Pa. sends too many Republicans to Washington - and why that could change
Inquirer by Jonathan Lai, Staff Writer  @Elaijuh |  jlai@phillynews.com Updated: AUGUST 14, 2017 — 5:56 PM EDT
Pennsylvania sends too many Republicans to Washington.  That’s not a partisan attack. It’s just math.  Of the 18 Pennsylvanian members of the House of Representatives, 13 are Republicans and 5 are Democrats. That split should be more like 11 to 7 or even 10 to 8 if the districts were drawn without attempts at favoring Republicans, according to recent expert analyses.  It’s all about the map: Several lawsuits are attempting to get various state legislative and congressional maps declared unconstitutional on the basis of partisan gerrymandering, the idea that one political party drew the lines in a way that benefited them unfairly.  The lawsuits rely on a set of tools that for the first time could convincingly identify skewed maps and persuade the courts that a state’s map goes too far in favoring one party. A federal court has ruled Wisconsin’s state legislative map unconstitutional, the first victory in a partisan gerrymandering case in three decades.  That decision used one of several new mathematical tests to help measure the map’s Republican skew, and the Supreme Court will hear the case in the fall; if it upholds the decision, it could create a legal standard, potentially including some of these tests for measuring map bias.

“Today, the Pennsylvania teacher pension fund is underfunded by about $43 billion. To make good on our politicians’ promises, Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to come up with that $43 billion beyond what they currently pay in taxes.”
The myths of the underpaid and overworked teachers in Pa. | Opinion
Inquirer Opinion by Antony Davies & James R. Harrigan Updated: AUGUST 14, 2017
Antony Davies is associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. antony@antolin-davies.com James R. Harrigan is CEO of FreedomTrust. jrharrigan@gmail.com
During the dot-com bubble, workers with private retirement plans enjoyed fat returns. From 1990 through 2000, the S&P 500 quadrupled, meaning that the typical retirement portfolio averaged a 15 percent annual return over the course of an entire decade.  But while the stock-market boom was fantastic for workers with private retirement plans, Pennsylvania teachers didn’t share the good fortune. They had defined benefit pensions, which are immune from market gyrations. That, and the fact that the Pennsylvania teacher retirement fund was fully funded, gave politicians the opening to win votes by boosting teacher retirement benefits to match the skyrocketing returns private retirement plans were getting.  What did politicians conveniently ignore? Teacher pension benefits are guaranteed, regardless of market performance. So while teachers’ defined benefit pensions did not participate in the massive run-up from 1990 to 2000, they also didn’t suffer when the S&P 500 fell by 40 percent from 2000 through 2009. And when the market tumbled, suddenly there wasn’t enough money to pay for the lavish benefits politicians had promised.

HASD settles student’s bill for $165,000
Hazelton Standard Speaker BY KENT JACKSON / PUBLISHED: AUGUST 13, 2017
First of two parts - A court settlement for $165,000 that the Hazleton Area School District reached with a private school in Bucks County shows how expensive the cost can become for educating just one student with special needs.  The student had been attending school and living at the 300-acre campus of Woods Services in Langhorne since he was 7, but Hazleton Area became responsible for paying for his education when his mother moved into the district in February 2014.  Hazleton Area paid for his tuition and for an aide to accompany him for the rest of the school year, but the district declined to pay his bills for July and August that year and for July and August in 2015.

Big bill highlights concerns over special education funding
Hazelton Standard Speaker BY KENT JACKSON / PUBLISHED: AUGUST 14, 2017
Second of two parts - Very few students with special needs live at a private school like Woods Services of Langhorne, Bucks County, which sued the Hazleton Area School District over a student’s bill.  While approximately 15 percent of students require special education services, perhaps 1 percent of them attend private schools like Woods Services.  In the Hazleton Area case, Woods Services sought $226,450 for educating and housing a student during the summers of 2014 and 2015. The parties settled for $165,000, according to an agreement which the Hazleton Area School Board approved on June 29.  The costs for students with the highest needs can disrupt a school district’s budget but are hard to anticipate, as illustrated in the Woods Services case. The student’s mother moved into Hazleton Area from the Parkland School District in Lehigh County in February 2014. Before that, she had lived in six other school districts in New York and Pennsylvania while her child lived at Woods Services.  “I’ve heard from my superintendents over a long period of their concerns for special education funding,” state Sen. John Gordner, R-27, Berwick, said.

Western Pennsylvania leaders strive to reduce chronic absenteeism in schools
Schools across the region are trying to reduce student absenteeism.
Trib Live NATASHA LINDSTROM  | Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, 2:54 p.m.
Schools across the country are grappling with a persistent dilemma: how to reduce the number of days that children miss class.  Decades of research point to connections between a student's poor school attendance record and higher likelihoods of dropping out of school, entering the juvenile justice system and struggling with health, social and money issues later in life.  United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania announced Monday an expanded partnership with the University of Pittsburgh aimed at helping schools across the region discover and implement the most effective methods for addressing chronic absenteeism.  Building on pockets of success in recent years, United Way estimates it will reach 11,000 more students in Greater Pittsburgh — mostly within the Woodland Hills School District's boundaries — during the coming academic year through its Be There school attendance initiative. The effort has reached 33,000 students since its start in 2013, United Way officials said.

School district: No outdoor recess during eclipse
WPXI by AP Updated: Aug 15, 2017 - 8:05 AM
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania school district says children won't be let outside for recess during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse because of the potential harm to students who look at the sun.  The Cumberland Valley School District sent a letter to parents Monday saying the decision was made after consulting the district's physician.  The letter says district officials recognize that the opportunity to view an eclipse is rare, but the safety of students is more important.  NASA officials recommend viewing the eclipse through specially-made glasses to prevent eye damage.  Central Pennsylvania will see a partial eclipse next Monday sometime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Plum to start work on 2018-19 school district budget
Trib Live by MICHAEL DIVITTORIO | Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, 3:30 p.m.
Plum School District officials hope to avoid a third straight tax increase by starting 2018-19 budget discussions Tuesday.  “It's just preliminary discussions,” board president Kevin Dowdell said Monday afternoon. “I always wanted to start right away. You pass a budget in June, and I'm thinking July and August to start the process for next year. It's kind of early, but we can talk.”  Plum starts this school year a little more than $4 million in debt.  In past years, the board started looking at expenses and revenues in October, according to Vice President and finance committee chairperson Michelle Stepnick.  “I feel as if the budget should be a continuous conversation, and if there are ideas to be talked about they need to be broken down,” Stepnick said.  The board approved this school year's $66 million budget in June with a property tax hike of 0.866-mill and no cuts to programs.

“A sub shortage that began confounding school administrators about 15 years ago has only grown worse in recent years as enrollment in college teacher prep programs declined dramatically.  Greensburg Salem is among scores of schools across the state that have turned to staffing companies like Source4Teachers to find substitute teachers.”
Calling all substitute teachers: Greensburg school looking to add staff
The rush to hire substitutes and teacher aides is a sign of the times as the clock ticks down to the start of school
Trib Live by DEBRA ERDLEY  | Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, 2:39 p.m.
It may be only a week or two until the start of classes, but it looks as though there is still time for would-be teachers to sign on with an employment agency that provides substitutes and teacher aides to schools across the region.  A Source4Teachers banner declaring “Now Hiring,” substitute teachers and classroom aides went up in front of the Greensburg Salem Middle School over the weekend. Greensburg Salem teachers return Aug. 28, with students back on Aug. 30.  Teaching jobs remain at a premium in many subject areas, with dozens of applicants for every opening. But administrators say finding substitute teachers has grown harder with each passing year.

Quaker Valley students to get (a little) more sleep as district adjusts school start times
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com 7:43 AM AUG 15, 2017
Research has long found that a later school start time for teenagers can help improve their academic performance, physical health and driving abilities. This fall, the Quaker Valley School District will be among the first in Allegheny County to test it out.  The district will push back the school day by 15 minutes for its middle- and high-school students when classes start Aug. 23.  It’s a relatively minor adjustment, but adolescent sleep experts say it's a major step in the right direction as they try to convince other school districts to make similar schedule modifications.  “Although it’s a small change, it’s relatively better than what most of the region is doing,” said Peter Franzen, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.

“When we cut the arts program, we’re hindering and holding back our students from being fully successful.”  Wolff said that in his travels to school districts all across the United States, in which the districts in focus are those with more than 70 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.  “Teachers are expected to have their classrooms perform the same as more affluent schools,” Wolff said of school districts with higher poverty rates. “In schools that we go to you have a massive lack of resources, school supplies is just one element of it.”
Chester Upland feels change is in the air
Delco Times By Rick Kauffman, rkauffman@21st-centurymedia.com, @Kauffee_DT on Twitter POSTED: 08/14/17, 8:56 PM EDT | UPDATED: 44 SECS AGO
CHESTER >> Teachers are confident that students in the Chester Upland School District will starting on the right foot this school year.  A donation of supplies to every elementary school student at Stetser, Main Street Elementary and the Chester Upland School of the Arts was granted Monday by Yoobi, a company that creates fun and vibrant school supplies. For every one sold, a pack is donated to students in need.  That, combined with a new superintendent who teachers view as an ally, and a newly signed teachers’ contract, mean teachers and administrators in the district have a renewed spirit for 2017-18.

21st Century Cyber Charter School opens second location as expansion of Downingtown headquarters
By Ginger Dunbar, Daily Local News POSTED: 08/14/17, 3:51 PM EDT
PITTSBURGH >> The 21st Century Cyber Charter School held a grand opening celebration of its second location in Pittsburgh which will serve as a satellite office to its Downingtown school.  The 21st Century Cyber Charter School (21CCCS) is located at 126 Wallace Avenue in Downingtown, and the second location in Pittsburgh serves as a satellite office location for 21CCCS and as an extension to the school’s primary headquarters. School officials said the school’s Pittsburgh location aims to give a wider range of Pennsylvania students the opportunity to pursue a “quality cyber education that is uniquely tailored to their schedule and learning preferences.”  “The growth that 21CCCS has experienced within the last few years alone is truly incredible,” Kim McCully, CEO of 21CCCS, said in a statement. “We see our expansion into Pittsburgh as an opportunity that will allow us to nurture growth in the school community as a whole, and we are very excited to add to our talented teaching and administrative staff while continuing to increase our student enrollment.”

These are the best public high schools in Pennsylvania, according to Niche
Penn Live Compiled by Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com Posted August 14, 2017 at 05:09 AM | Updated August 14, 2017 at 12:25 PM
Looking for the best public high school in the state?  Niche.com’s list of the best high schools in Pennsylvania has been released and we’re sharing the top 75 of them.  The ranking of the public high schools (including charter and magnet schools) is determined based on data pulled from the U.S. Department of Education and reviews from parents and students. They looked at test scores and college data, in addition to ratings from Niche users.  The school’s score is heavily weighted when it comes to academics, with how well the school does on state assessments and SAT/ACT scores accounting for 60 percent of the overall score.  Niche also looked at culture and diversity, the quality of teachers, and health and safety when determining their scores. You can learn more about the methodology behind the rankings at about.niche.com.


POLL: SUPPORT FOR CHARTERS DROPS MARKEDLY OVER PAST YEAR
BY MARIA DANILOVA ASSOCIATED PRESS Aug 15, 3:21 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Expanding charter schools around the country is losing support among Americans, even as President Donald Trump and his administration continue to push for school choice, according to a survey released Tuesday.  Trump campaigned on a promise to dramatically improve school choice - charter schools and private school voucher programs - and his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has made it a priority. But so far the message does not appear to have hit home with the public.  About 39 percent of respondents favor opening more charters - schools that are funded by public money, but usually operated independently of school districts - according to the survey by Education Next, a journal published by Harvard's Kennedy School and Stanford University. That's down from 51 percent last year.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EDUCATION_POLL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

How Does the 'Trump Effect' Change the Public's View of Education?
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on August 15, 2017 7:45 AM
If you're looking for someone to polarize debates about education policy, look no further than President Donald Trump.  That's according to an opinion survey published Tuesday by Education Next, a K-12 policy journal. People's views of charter schools, tax-credit scholarships, the Common Core State Standards, and teacher merit pay was sharply affected in several instances when they were told where Trump stands on them. However, even though Trump might be more polarizing on education than President Barack Obama was at the same point in their presidencies, Trump's net impact on public opinion on these hot-button issues might also pretty much zero, according to the survey.  The survey found that Republicans who were asked about four key policy issues, and then told of Trump's opinion about them, moved closer to Trump's view on three of those four issues. Specifically, there was a 15 percentage-point increase in support for charter schools among those identifying with the GOP when told of the president's support for charters, and a 10 percentage-point bump in support for tax-credit scholarships. Meanwhile, support for the common core dropped by 5 percentage points when Republicans were told of Trump's opposition to the standards. 
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2017/08/how_trump_effect_impact_public_education_view.html

Surprise, Trump's Education Ideas Are Polarizing
NPR by ANYA KAMENETZ August 15, 20171:00 AM ET
In the last year, there's been a big drop in support for charter schools, while other forms of school choice are getting a little less unpopular. That's the top line of a national poll released today.  President Trump and his education secretary Betsy DeVos have put school choice front and center on their education agenda. The general idea of "choice," however, takes many forms.  Charter schools are paid for by tax dollars, charge no tuition and are managed independently of public school districts.  Vouchers allow students to use tax dollars to pay tuition at private schools.  Tax-credit scholarships, now available in 17 states, which allow individuals and companies to get a tax credit for donating to scholarship funds that are used in turn for private school tuition.  U.S. opinion on these ideas seems to be shifting, according to a new poll from EducationNext, an opinion and policy journal associated with free-market education reform ideas. They've been asking similar questions for the past decade.


PSBA Officer Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA Website August 2017
PSBA members seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a nomination form no later than June 1, 2017, to be considered. All candidates who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on June 17 at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates. According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to each person's name with an asterisk (*).

The deadline to submit cover letter, resume and application is August 25, 2017.
PSBA seeking experienced education leaders: Become an Advocacy Ambassador
POSTED ON JUL 17, 2017 IN PSBA NEWS
PSBA is seeking applications for six Advocacy Ambassadors who have been involved in day-to-day functions of a school district, on the school board, or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement of local school directors and public education stakeholders through the advocacy leadership of the ambassadors. Each Advocacy Ambassador will be an active leader in an assigned section of the state, and is kept up to date on current legislation and PSBA position based on PSBA priorities to accomplish advocacy goals.  PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors are independent contractors representing PSBA, and serve as liaisons between PSBA and their local and federal elected officials. Advocacy Ambassadors also commit to building strong relationships with PSBA members with the purpose of engaging the designated members to be active and committed grassroots advocates for PSBA’s legislative priorities.  This is a 9-month independent contractor position with a monthly stipend and potential renewal for a second year. Successful candidates must commit to the full 9-month contract, agree to fulfill assigned Advocacy Ambassador duties and responsibilities, and actively participate in conference calls and in-person meetings

CONSIDER IT: SCHOOL CHOICE AND THE CASES FOR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CHARTER SCHOOLS
September 19 @ 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Hilton Reading
Berks County Community Foundation
Panelists:
Carol Corbett Burris: Executive Director of the Network for Public Education
Alyson Miles: Deputy Director of Government Affairs for the American Federation for Children
James Paul: Senior Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig: Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership at California State University Sacramento
Karin Mallett: The WFMZ TV anchor and reporter returns as the moderator
School choice has been a hot topic in Berks County, in part due to a lengthy and costly dispute between the Reading School District and I-LEAD Charter School. The topic has also been in the national spotlight as President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have focused on expanding education choice.  With this in mind, a discussion on school choice is being organized as part of Berks County Community Foundation’s Consider It initiative. State Sen. Judy Schwank and Berks County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach are co-chairs of this nonpartisan program, which is designed to promote thoughtful discussion of divisive local and national issues while maintaining a level of civility among participants.  The next Consider It Dinner will take place Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, 701 Penn St., Reading, Pa. Tickets are available here.  For $10 each, tickets include dinner, the panel discussion, reading material, and an opportunity to participate in the conversation.


Apply Now for EPLC's 2017-2018 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Applications are available now for the 2017-2018 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Click here for the program calendar of sessions.  With more than 500 graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders.  State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization.  The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 14-15, 2017 and continues to graduation in June 2018.

Using Minecraft to Imagine a Better World and Build It Together.
Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia
PCCY, the region’s most influential advocacy organization for children, leverages the world’s greatest video game for the year’s most engaging fundraising event for kids. Join us on Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue for a fun, creative and unique gaming opportunity.

Education Law Center’s 2017 Annual Celebration
ELC invites you to join us for our Annual Celebration on September 27 in Philadelphia.
The Annual Celebration will take place this year on September 27, 2017 at The Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia. The event begins at 5:30 PM. We anticipate more than 300 legal, corporate, and community supporters joining us for a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner presentation.  Our annual celebrations honor outstanding champions of public education. This proud tradition continues at this year’s event, when together we will salute these deserving honorees:
·         PNC Bank: for the signature philanthropic cause of the PNC Foundation, PNC Grow Up Great, a bilingual $350 million, multi-year early education initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life; and its support of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which enables new lawyers to pursue careers in public interest law;
·         Joan Mazzotti: for her 16 years of outstanding leadership as the Executive Director of Philadelphia Futures, a college access and success program serving Philadelphia’s low-income, first-generation-to-college students;
·         Dr. Bruce Campbell Jr., PhD: for his invaluable service to ELC, as he rotates out of the chairman position on our Board of Directors. Dr. Campbell is an Arcadia University Associate Professor in the School of Education; and
·         ELC Pro Bono Awardee Richard Shephard of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP: for his exceptional work as pro bono counsel, making lasting contributions to the lives of many vulnerable families.Questions? Contact Tracy Callahan tcallahan@elc-pa.org or 215-238-6970 ext. 308.

STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00 pm Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our students, especially for African-American boys.  Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This is a national problem that demands a national response.  Come participate in the inaugural National Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.

Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017 Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA

Save the Date: PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA

Registration now open for the 67th Annual PASCD Conference  Nov. 12-13 Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on Saturday, November 11th.  You can register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have an invoice sent to you.  Click here to register for the conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs

Save the Date! NSBA 2018 Advocacy Institute February 4-6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017


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